Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder in Young Adults: It’s Possible!

If your child is a young adult with borderline personality disorder (BPD), you deeply understand the struggles of intense mood swings, the inability to regulate emotions and the wild, impulsive behavior sometimes leading to self-harm or harm to others.

Young adults aged 17 to 28 with BPD often struggle with relationships and other areas of development, such as staying in school, managing studies, working and living independently. To make matters worse, there is a great deal of stigma surrounding this very misunderstood diagnosis, even among mental health and healthcare professionals.

The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation features a thoughtful video of a woman describing BPD as “pretty much the most painful and lonely existence imaginable.” Volatile emotions, unstable relationships, short bursts of crippling anxiety, white-knuckled fear of abandonment, extreme idealization and evaluation of others, substance abuse, reckless driving and other severe, disruptive behaviors can tear away at the fabric of a young adult’s life.

As a parent, watching this happen to your adult child is equal parts terrifying and confusing. You may have been told that any form of response to negative actions can reinforce behavior in children with BPD. So what is a parent to do?

Yes, There is Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder in Young Adults

One of the greatest misunderstandings about BPD is that many people think it is “always on” and that the symptoms never go away. The good news is that borderline personality disorder is one of the few psychiatric diagnoses that can go into remission. This means your young adult child can recover from this disorder.

While there is no magic cure for BPD, treatment provides an incredible amount of hope for people with the disorder and their families. Treatment provides the training and tools necessary to cope with intense symptoms. Early diagnosis allows beneficial treatment to start sooner, when behavior patterns are easier to relearn.

Certain medications can sometimes help manage symptoms, but the FDA does not currently approve any drugs for the treatment of BPD in young adults. Successful treatment usually focuses on changing behavior patterns associated with the disorder, by using treatment programs including cognitive behavioral therapy and supportive therapy.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a form of psychotherapy, shows particularly positive results. DBT focuses on mindfulness, reality testing, and accepting and learning to tolerate emotional distress. DBT is often a family affair, where everyone learns new coping mechanisms and teamwork skills that help reduce or interrupt unhealthy behavior patterns associated with borderline personality disorder. The approach validates patients and rewards positive behavior.

Fortunately, borderline personality disorder does not have to be a life sentence. Accurate and timely diagnosis, proper treatment and management of symptoms can help young adults grow into fully functional and self-sufficient adults. In fact, Psychiatric Times published a study in which twins who reported BPD symptoms at 14 years old showed a drastic decline in these symptoms every two to three years during the 10 years that doctors followed their cases.

Through treatment, young adults with BPD can find hope, pursue a passion, and develop meaningful and long-lasting relationships to build a life worth living.

At our OPI Intensive treatment center for young adults with borderline personality disorder and BPD traits, we intensively integrate DBT as part of your treatment plan. We offer compassionate, clinically sophisticated intensive residential help, including genetic testing to determine the best course for medications, if needed. Rather than a sterile, hospital-like environment, we offer beautiful accommodations in luxury apartments just outside of Los Angeles.  At OPI Intensive, we treat the individual, not the diagnosis.  Our clinical team is made up of a diverse community of passionate, highly skilled individuals working together with you to help you find your joy and express it.   For more information on OPI Intensive residential programs and our measures to help young adults with Borderline Personality Disorder, call us at 866-661-3982 or click HERE to submit an online form. We’ll be in touch promptly.

Sources

https://bbrfoundation.org/bpd

https://bbrfoundation.org/bpd

https://youtu.be/Z3jeOIfGeEA